1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of carrying fish on a string after they have been caught.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been the practice of those who fish to carry their catch of a plurality of fish on a small rope or a line generally referred to as a string. The string is threaded in through gills and out through mouths of successive fish. Historically, threading was done with a finger. A small stick was tied to one end as a handle and to the other end to keep the string from coming out of the fish. A person would then have "a string of fish."
Currently, there are a variety of fish-stringer handles, needles and strings in use. All have advantages over rudimentary stick-and-string methods. All are different from this invention and do not provide its unique advantages. Typical of prior art that is pertinent but different are the following patent documents.
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. DATE NAME CLASSIFICATION ______________________________________ 3,854,638 Dec. 17, 1974 Anderson 224/103 3,302,837 Feb. 7, 1967 Montgomery 224/103 3,137,421 June 16, 1964 Haddock 224/103 2,539,496 Jan. 30, 1951 Towey 224/103 ______________________________________
The Anderson patent described a T-shaped handle. It was grooved across the top of the T for receiving stringing needles and down the leg of the T for receiving string. This invention, however, employs a D-shaped handle with grooves around it for wrapping string to vary its length and a different container for the stringing needle.
The Montgomery patent taught a fish carrier with a plurality of orifices for attaching string along a bottom of a metallic hanger with a handle in the center. It was not a D-shaped handle with string-wrapping channels around it as taught by this invention.
Haddock employed a handle with string attached to each end of it, different also from this invention.
The Towey device employed a snap attachment of a string at one end of a handle to which the string was attached more permanently at the opposite end of the handle It also was not the D-shaped handle with string grooves around it and a means for securing a stringing needle as a means also of attaching the string to the handle as taught by this invention.
D-shaped handles have been used extensively in a structure and working relationship of parts for hand bags shopping bags, luggage, swords and a vast array of other items. But none have been structured with a channel around an outside periphery of a complete D-shape and provided with a needle-container pocket in a manner suitable for a fish-stringer handle.